


A Stutter and a Start

by fadedhues



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedhues/pseuds/fadedhues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Arthur is a high school freshman and Eames, a senior, has to show him around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Stutter and a Start

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song by Spring Offensive.

It’s Arthur’s first day of high school, and he’s nervous as all get out. He climbs up the steps of Westfield High School, surveying the tall building that looms forebodingly overhead, dark clouds lurking ominously behind it. 

Alright, not really. It’s a nice building, and it’s sunny outside, birds chirping and teenagers laughing. Arthur’s being a tad over dramatic; he’s been told more than once that he has a very vivid imagination.

He checks his watch; the freshman are supposed to be meeting in the gym at 8 for an assembly. He has five minutes to get there,  _shit_ , and he hurries to the gym, which is a large building to the left of the main building.

By the time he gets there, the place is packed with people. The principal makes his speech; Arthur does his best to not let his zoning out show on his face. He gets the gist of it, anyways—welcome to Westfield, don’t forget that this is a private school and we take rule-breaking very seriously, blah blah blah. Everyone starts standing up around Arthur and Arthur snaps out of his daydream. “What’s going on?” he hisses to a pretty brunette to his right.

“We’re supposed to get off the bleachers so that the seniors can choose their shadows,” she tells him with a smile.

“Choose?” he asks. Great, this is just like dodgeball (except not really, because Arthur’s really fast, so he’s always been one of the first to get picked—but this is how some of the non-athletic or -popular people must have felt—dread building up).

“Yep.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Ariadne, by the way.”

He shakes her hand. “Arthur.” He talks with her, thinking about how pretty she is and thinking that he might already have a crush on her.

“Er, excuse me, have you already got a shadow?” someone asks, and Arthur turns around to find a stunning boy, tall and at that phase where he’s  _really_ developing muscles. He’s got piercing eyes and, wow, Arthur has just realized that he has a British accent.

“N—no,” he stammers out, and the other boy smiles in relief.

“Oh, good, I was afraid all of non-dick freshman had been taken. You look nice enough.” He shakes his head. “Though I probably shouldn’t be judging your character by your looks.”

Arthur nods, swallowing hard. “I’m Arthur,” he offers.

“Eames,” says the other boy. “Come on, have you got your schedule?”

It’s as Eames is showing Arthur to his first class that Arthur realizes that it’s his first day of high school and he’s already having a sexual identity crisis.


End file.
